Wood-fired, wild-yeasted, whole grain
Mark Bittman, the former New York Times food writer and cookbook author, has just published a fantastic new bread book in the tradition of Jim Lahey’s No-Knead method. It’s a pared-down introduction to baking bread that is practical, accessible, easy … and fun!
I haven’t baked from it yet, but I can tell you it will rope lots of people into the bread baking realm.… Continue reading
Sunday night, while all the animals were being loaded aboard the Ark, Jennifer and I headed up-island to a jazz show. As the deluge cascaded from the heavens, the Tim Johnson Quartet played an eclectic mix of jazz standards and original compositions at Pender’s Hub at Hope Bay.… Continue reading
Artifacts
By Helena Minton
Shuyak Island, Alaska
Wind blows from the mainland across the Straits
over nettle-covered middens where I’ve dug
for Aleut arrowheads, unearthing
fish bones, clam shells, human teeth.
Tribes slept near these hills
and in daylight told of omens dreamed
as elk of schools of spawning salmon.
Trout broach, eagles circle overhead
yet never enter my sleep.… Continue reading 
Ah, Saturday mornings!
A sleep-deprived baker who’s worked through a Thursday and well into Friday afternoon needs a Saturday morning! A luxurious lie-in, a delicious pour-over coffee and a slice of Happy Monk rye bread for breakfast!
It’s also a time to get caught up, a time for inspiration for the next week.
This Saturday morning, I got around to reading a New York Times article sent to me by an observant customer.… Continue reading
The south-easterlies blew overnight across Boundary Pass from the San Juans. The power went out before midnight, and we huddled in a dark bedroom that wasn’t much in the way of trees outside that might fall on us.
The wind howled through the night and most of the next day.… Continue reading